A Merchant House on the Corner
The Yonehara Family Residence Main House (米原家住宅主屋) is the main house of a merchant family of about 1906 in Chizu, Chizu Town, Tottori Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 19, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a 2-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 468 square metres; registration number 31-0198.
A Large House on a Corner Plot
The Yonehara Family Residence Main House stands on the corner where the Chizu Ōrai and Bizen Ōrai roads cross (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a large 2-storey house, 12 by 7 bays, under a tiled hip-and-gable roof, with a lean-to Geya running round all four sides.
The walls are finished in black plaster. Below them runs a mortar base in an Araidashi exposed-aggregate finish, scored with staggered joints, and above it a continuous run of projecting lattice windows, or Degōshi (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Inside are many reception rooms built of fine timber.
The date comes from an Onigawara ridge-end tile taken down from the roof during recent repairs, which is inscribed Meiji 39 (Chizu Town). The town says the plot belonged to the Kokumai family, the local ōjōya or head village officials, until it passed to the Yonehara family in or after 1905, so the house went up soon after the family acquired the site.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes the many reception rooms built of fine timber and sees the house as typical of a wealthy merchant's main house of the modern era; it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Chizu Town calls it a fine example of modern Japanese-style architecture, with rooms of many different characters.
What to Look For
Look first at the base of the walls. The joints scored into the mortar do not run in straight vertical lines but are staggered, and above them the black plaster wall and the unbroken row of lattice windows sit on top (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The big hip-and-gable roof with its lean-to roofs on all four sides reads the same way from either road on the corner.
Visiting
The Yonehara Family Residence Main House stands on the corner, and visitors see it from the street. No official information was found on access to the interior and its reception rooms, or on photography.
Q&A
- When was the Yonehara Family Residence Main House built?
- In about 1906, dated by an inscribed ridge-end tile found during repairs (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Chizu Town).
- How big is the Yonehara Family Residence Main House?
- It is a 2-storey house of 12 by 7 bays with a building area of 468 square metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What should I look for on the Yonehara Family Residence Main House?
- The black plaster walls, the mortar base with staggered joints and the continuous projecting lattice windows.
- Can I go inside the Yonehara Family Residence Main House?
- No official information on interior access was found; the house is seen from the street.
- When was the Yonehara Family Residence Main House registered?
- On December 19, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Yonehara Family Residence Main House (米原家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 546 Chizu, Chizu Town, Yazu District, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/12/19 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, 468 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | Exterior only (no official opening information) |
References
- Yonehara Family Residence Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010342
- Yonehara Family Residence Main House (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/244735
- Chizu Town cultural property map: Yonehara Family Residence (Chizu Town, Japanese)
- https://stroly.com/maps/1610427898?lang=ja
Last verified: 2026.10.19
